Over the past few months staff and volunteers from Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB (part of Suffolk Coastal District Council) have joined forces with staff and volunteers from the RSPB to transform areas of the North Warren RSPB reserve. Over the course of three days in January and February, the joint work party has tackled scrub in the fen, cut back reed from around an open pool, cut back areas of gorse on the heath, had large bonfires and enjoyed meeting new people who share an interest in wildlife and the countryside.
Gorse fire at Aldringham Walks by Nick Marsh
At Aldringham Walks, young gorse has been cleared from areas of colonising heather to allow it to become established. Some areas of mature, leggy gorse have also been coppiced to give a varied age structure of gorse across the heath. This work should hopefully benefit species such as Dartford warbler, yellowhammer and linnet, and also butterflies such as grayling.
Haven fen, an area to the south of Thorpeness, is important for wildflowers (including orchids), and a colony of Adder’s tongue fern. Silver birch and willow have started to encroach onto the area so they have been cut back to restore the fen and protect this valuable habitat. The two days spent working in this area has changed the landscape dramatically, it is looking fantastic!
An old pool which was choked with reed has also been opened up again. It has been great for wildlife in the past, so hopefully dragonflies, damselflies and passage migrant birds will make use of it again.
The wet woodland is another important area in Haven fen, this has been coppiced in places around the edges to provide a varied age structure in the woodland and encourage scrub which will in turn benefit nightingales.
Cutting reed at Haven fen by Nick Marsh
Cutting and burning birch and willow at Haven fen by Nick Marsh
Other highlights from the reserve so far this year have been the presence of a couple of rarer visitors – an American wigeon (see Ian’s blog from the 4th Feb), and a Greenland white-fronted goose (distinguished from our usual white-fronted geese from NE Europe and Siberia by a darker head and a more orange bill). It can be seen amongst the regular white-fronted geese in the picture below.
Greenland white-fronted goose by David Fairhurst